Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ANTI-SOCIAL KIDS
Communities count cost of riots
middle of the district and obviously there was a real fear of it spreading to people’s homes. There were also threats on social media from some of those involved to burn down other buildings, to attack their own community. There’s no logic with these people but we’re fighting tooth and nail against what is a tiny minority bent on causing trouble.”
A clean-up operation was under way in Divis yesterday and three burned cars remained in Stewart Street after trouble in the Markets district.
This was sparked after a council bid to remove bonfire material on Monday morning before it was lit last night.
However, a large bonfire remained in the New Lodge district.
The bonfires are ostensibly linked to anti-internment protests of the past but are regarded as magnets for anti-social behaviour with little to do with history.
Earlier, a senior PSNI officer said they were aware of children as young as 12 being involved in Monday’s disorder.
Supt Andrea Mcmullan added there were “sporadic incidents of cars being attacked by stone-throwers and one petrol bomb was thrown” in the Markets.
She said: “There was a crowd of about 100 mainly young people. Three cars were burnt out and five were damaged. Two Land Rovers were damaged and one officer sustained minor injuries. Just before 9pm a derelict building was set on fire in the Divis area. A bus was also damaged by a large group on the Falls Road after 11pm.”